08/16/2024
Here’s a fun story from last weekend at Fair Hill…
To start, I live in NC and Hurricane Debbie was making her appearance through the whole week. THANKFULLY it looked like the weekend we were going to be good to go, so still planning on the trip to MD!
BUT… I still had to do all the care, riding, packing, all the things through the week to prep for the show.
Okay, fine- we all survived- Oh! I forgot to mention we have a senior dog who is TERRIFIED of heavy rain and storms. Which meant if I was lucky 3-4 hours of sleep 😬
I felt gross and just off all week. But never the less pushing on- and thankfully Max was coming with me so I didn’t have to drive 🤗
We left around 6:00-6:30AM Friday and arrived at FHI around 2:30PM… just in time for it to keep pouring rain 🌧️
I am a new-be to FHI and had no idea where anything was… we got the horses off the trailer and set them up then went in the truck to go figure out where the venue I would be riding was located.
Found all the things- Max went back to the stalls and I headed out to go walk my XC courses real quick then going to hop on the horses and take them for a nice hack (about 15/20 mins both ways) to the venue and do a light flat. GREAT!
I’m walking both Prelim/Training XC just doing my thing **OH! I forgot to mention… I didn’t charge my phone on the way up and only had about 4% when I headed out** and also, it’s still pouring rain. 🌧️
The rain stopped, so I took my rain jacket off in the middle of the course as it wasn’t necessarily chilly out and I was sweating. 🥵
Walking my LONG journey back to the truck to then drive back to the stalls, feeling good about the courses. I go to reach in my jacket for the truck keys and… nothing.
I check all the pockets and there’s nothing… I then pray I forgot to lock the truck because I know Max has a spare in there. As I’m walking up to where I parked, I don’t see the truck 😳 I automatically go to “OF COURSE! Someone found the keys and took the truck with all our wallets and everything we need in it!” That seems right…
I then look closer and breathe out because there it is- exactly where I left it! Okay great, truck is still there. I then walk up to the truck thinking “please universe just let it be unlocked”. I reach for the door handle… Nope.
Now, let me remind you… my phone was on 4% when I started this journey. Yes, the phone was dead. ☠️ Here I am really far from Max and the stalls, with a locked truck, lost keys and no phone. I’m still thinking silver lining the truck has a code on the door… so I’ll ask what it is and get in!
Thankfully, I looked over and there was someone parked near in a truck so I walked over and asked if I could use their phone so I could call someone (Max). She was so nice and let me use it! I called… he didn’t answer. I know he wasn’t answering because he didn’t know the number. Sent him a message- he called me. I explained the situation and could hear the judgement over the phone.
I asked for the key code so I code get it unlocked and he says he doesn’t know it… well that’s helpful 😂 Now we both realize we have to find these keys, call AAA, or break a window 🤷🏻♀️
I leave my rain jacket at the truck on the mirror and tell him in going to go back track through the course and look for the keys *remember I was walking BOTH Prelim/Training at the same time* Max said he will find the long trail the horses take from stabling and get to the XC course.
Off I go back to trace my steps- sweating, tired, wet, and annoyed with myself. Thinking… I have a AAA card but it’s in the truck so I don’t have my info. Still haven’t ridden my horses… I’m not even sure I know my XC courses anymore. Maybe we should just pack up and call it. 😅
I go back to the beginning… walking every step I made. The truck it parked near the finish of the Training level course- I look up and see Max there! He puts both arms up 🤷🏻♂️ And I’m thinking “I don’t know!” Then I keep walking and I see him raise something in the air… it’s the keys! 🥸
I make my way back to the truck and see the keys I lost in his hand. They were found hanging with my rain jacket on the truck. There was a moment of “were they there the whole time?! And I’m seriously losing it?!” but I was feeling confident… or just hoping I would have noticed but at this point nothing would surprise me.
So to whomever found my keys on the XC course Friday at FHI… THANK YOU!!!! You seriously saved my mental health by that point- but I also feel like it was the universe going “so when does this not become funny?!” 😆🤔
